Union of the States of Malaysia and Singapore
The 'Union of the States of Malaysia and Singapore '(USMS), simply known as Malaysia, is a federation made up of 12 states. It borders with Thailand to the north and shares maritime borders with the Great Han Empire to the east and Indonesia to the south and west. The USMS was formed following the merger of Singapore and the Federation Malaya on 16 September 1963 with Tunku Abdul Rahman as the first premier of the Union. However, shortly after the merger, the Tunku passed away due to a stroke. Following the 1964 general election, the People's Action Party (PAP) of Singapore took power over Malaysia and Singapore. However, in the first few years under the PAP government, there was social unrest between the various ethnic groups in the country, igniting the 1st Malaysian Civil War and 2nd Malaysian Civil War when pro-Malay activists wanted to form the Theocratic Republic of Malaysia. Even till today, there are still conflicts between the ethnic groups despite efforts to promote racial harmony. Despite the civil wars, the PAP managed to reform and develop Malaysia, transforming Malaysia from a third world to a first world nation. The Union today is a global commerce, finance and transport hub due to its vast natural resources and several successful ports in the country. However, due to the Union's low level of press freedom and restrictions on civil liberties and political rights, the Union has been classified by some as a flawed democracy. History Federation of Malaysia After Singapore was granted total self-governance by the British, the PAP then campaigned for merger with Malaysia. The PAP think that Singapore's future lay with Malaya due to strong ties between the two nations. It was thought that the merger would benefit the economy by creating a common market which will support new industries, thus solving the ongoing unemployment woes in Singapore. The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) initially was skeptical about the proposal, as they distrust the PAP government and were concerned that the large Chinese population in Singapore would alter the racial balance on which their political power base depended on. However, the Malayan government decided to back the idea after an attempted communsit coup was launched against the Malayan government on January 1961. On 27 May, Malaya's Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, mooted the idea of a Federation of Malaysia, comprising existing Federation of Malaya and Singapore. The British government, for its part, believed that the merger would prevent Singapore from becoming a haven for communism. Eventually, after tough negotiations, Singapore became part of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. 1st Malaysian Civil War After the merger, however, the then premier of Malaysia Tuniu Abdul Rahman died due to a stroke. An interim government by the weakened UMNO was then put in charge while preparations were made for the 1964 General Election. Surprisingly, the PAP won the most seats in the government. However, the results then led to tensions between the Chinese and Malays, as the Malays thinks that the Chinese boycotted the elections. This communal strife culminated in the 1964 race riots in Singapore. 2nd Malaysian Civil War Union of Malaysia and Singapore Geography Write the second section of your page here.